Under The Surface
by Pilgrim Soul
Summary: A routine mission goes horribly wrong when the team find themselves trapped and seriously injured. Team fic. Whump all round. WIP
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N** - This has already been posted on LJ but I'm finally getting around to posting it here. The first three chapters are written and there's only one more to go.  
_

_**Beta** - the ever wonderful Alipeeps_

_**Disclaimer** - Don't own them but boy would I have fun if I did._

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**Under The Surface  
By Pilgrim Soul**

Rodney had known this was going to be a bad day from the moment he woke up. Of course, he woke up everyday expecting the worst but today he'd been proved right. MJ5-631 had proved to be yet another backwater planet with a population of hunter-gatherers that made the Athosians look positively advanced. All in all it had, in his less than humble opinion, been one colossal waste of time. He'd made his feelings on the matter known to the others at some length, only giving up on voicing his, as far as he was concerned totally justified, grievances when Sheppard had threatened to shoot him again. Not that he ever thought the Colonel would go through with his threat but he knew Sheppard well enough to know the difference between light-hearted banter threats of violence and 'you really don't want to piss me off' threats of violence. Besides, by this point it had started to rain.

The villagers had seen the storm coming; it was hard to miss, a mass of dark clouds swirling across the skyline, moving way too fast for comfort. Apparently they suffered terrible storms every year at this time but the locals were predicting this to be a particularly bad one and had offered them sanctuary until the storm passed over. To Rodney's relief, at the time Sheppard had declined, ensuring the villagers that they would be comfortably tucked up at home long before the worst of the storm hit - how wrong he had been.

The terrain around the village was both mountainous and heavily forested, the settlement nestled into a sheltered clearing that made parking the jumper nearby impossible and, not wanting to just land the jumper in the middle of the village, they had been forced to leave it cloaked almost two kilometres away; that in itself had been enough to qualify this as a bad day as far as Rodney was concerned. Looking back later, he would quite happily have settled for a walk three times as long if it had meant forgoing what was to come.

It started off as just heavy drops, the kind of rain that thudded quietly as it hit the ground and sent up little clouds of dust from dry earth. The wind had already begun to pick up before they had even left the village but soon it was whipping around them, snatching the breath from his mouth and driving the stinging rain against his skin. Overhead the clouds were scudding across the sky at a pace far quicker than Rodney would have thought possible and soon the summer shower had become a downpour and the downpour became a deluge and they were now wading through water and mud so deep even Ronon was finding the going difficult and the slightly-built Teyla was clearly struggling.

The Satedan was at the front; with the rain coming down so heavily they could barely see and the three of them wordlessly and instinctively followed Ronon, relying on his infallible sense of direction to guide them back to the jumper. Sheppard stayed back and Rodney knew he was keeping an eye on both himself and Teyla to make sure neither of them fell. Rodney's legs felt like lead, his muscles burned as he dragged his water-logged boots out of the sucking mud with each step. Water slewed off the slopes beside them, bringing debris down with it, only serving to make the going even tougher. When Rodney noticed Ronon picking up the pace and through the veil of rain spotted the dark outline of the jumper for himself, the sense of relief was overwhelming and his own legs found another burst of energy.

His sense of relief was short-lived when he got a clearer look at the jumper; it sat at an odd angle and he realised it had started to shift in the torrent coming down off the mountain. Mud and debris piled up along its side. Rodney almost stopped in his tracks, only to feel a hand shove him firmly between the shoulder blades; he would have lost his footing if the same hand had not grabbed his vest and kept him upright. Sheppard leant down and shouted in his ear, telling him to keep moving. Teyla grabbed his arm for support and they pushed onward, Sheppard now passing them, his usual easy, loping stride reduced to a slow but determined wade through the ever-deepening mud. The last few yards to the jumper seemed to be taking forever and Rodney nearly ended up on his knees more than once.

He watched Ronon and Sheppard reach the jumper before them, pulling debris away from the little ship before they could release the hatch, and that's when he heard it, when they all heard it. As one their eyes turned to look up at the mountain above them, a mountain that now looked as though it were collapsing. The landslide rumbled down toward them, ripping up everything in its path, creating a chaotic mass of mud, rock and trees. Rodney stood in awe watching death hurtling toward him.

OoOoO

Ronon bellowed at McKay and Teyla to get moving but he couldn't tell if they could hear him over the roar of the landslide heading toward them. After what seemed like an eternity, the scientist turned back toward him, his eyes wide, sheer terror etched on his face. Teyla's mouth moved but he couldn't hear her over tumult. Ronon felt Sheppard dive past him, the Colonel's mud-laden boots slipping on the jumper floor, and moments later the jumper's engines sprang to life. Reaching out his hand with a final animalistic howl, he grabbed hold of Rodney's arm, twisting his fingers into the fabric of the scientist's jacket, and dragged McKay into the jumper, bringing Teyla with him. He slammed his hand onto the button and the hatch began to close. McKay and Teyla had collapsed into a sodden heap on the floor, both of them panting heavily. Ronon turned to look at Sheppard who was already lifting the jumper off the ground. And then came the impact.

If he had thought the sound deafening before, it didn't come close to the thunderous slam of the impact. He was thrown back hard against the side of the jumper, his head smashed into the wall and he crumpled onto the floor just as the jumper flipped over on to its side. He could hear screaming but wasn't sure who it was; the light disappeared as the landslide swamped the jumper, Ronon could hear screaming but wasn't sure who it was. Everything was a blur and he could see Teyla and Rodney being thrown around like rag dolls. Still the jumper kept moving and the roar of the landslide continued outside, filling his senses. It seemed to go on forever, a chaos of noise and movement, until another crack to the head filled his vision with white light and the sound began to die away.

OoOoO

Consciousness came back to her slowly; at first it felt dream-like, no vision and sound seemed abstract and distant. It was a strange kind of calmness, broken by the sudden onslaught of pain. Her left arm felt as though it was on fire and she arched her back, crying out as the world came rushing back to her. The jumper was pitch black; she could see nothing, they had been buried beneath the landslide and she felt a knot of panic in her stomach, a wave of claustrophobia that she struggled to hold back. She groped around for her P-90 but couldn't find it.

In her panic, she tried to move again causing another bolt of pain to shoot up her arm. Laying back, breathing heavily, she tried to clear her mind and control the pain. She slowly became aware of other sounds; she could hear breathing close to her ear and reaching out her good hand, she felt out in the direction it was coming from. She touched skin and with gentle fingers traced features up to short cropped hair - McKay. His breathing seemed strong and he made a low whimpering noise as she gentle stroked his hair.

"Doctor McKay? Rodney?" she whispered, eliciting another groan.

"Teyla?" His voice was weak and vague. "I can't see. Teyla, why can't I see?" She could feel him moving, trying to sit up, panic making his voice stronger and clearer.

"Stay calm. You cannot see because it is dark. The landslide has covered us and it appears to have knocked out power to the jumper."

"Landslide? We're buried alive! Oh God."

"Rodney!" she said sharply. "You must stay calm. Are you hurt?" Her hand still rested on his head, the contact in the dark was comforting and she suspected he felt the same way. She felt him pause.

"Yes, I'm hurt," he said indignantly. "How could I not be hurt?"

"Where?" she asked calmly.

"Everywhere." She sighed impatiently.

"Is anything broken? Can you move?"

"Uh…I think so." Her arm fell away from him as he sat up, a pained 'Oh God' escaping his lips. "Okay, there's nothing obviously broken. You?"

"I…I believe my arm is broken but other than that I am still in one piece."

"What about the others?"

OoOoO

Rodney's felt like, well he felt like he'd just been tossed around in a jumper caught in a landslide. Every part of his body felt bruised and his joints fought against every movement, panic churned his stomach and tightened his chest and he was cold, his wet clothes clinging to him and the chill permeating every part of his body. As he sat up, he felt Teyla's hand that had been resting on his head slip away and he felt a little pang at the loss of contact and with it the need to keep talking. He could hear the pain in her voice; if she felt anything like he did, he could understand why and he felt guilty for not having asked earlier if she was alright.

"I…I believe my arm is broken but other than that I am still in one piece."

"What about the others?" he asked, suddenly aware that he had heard nothing from Ronon or Sheppard. "Sheppard! Ronon! Where's your P-90? We need some light in here."

"I do not know, I think perhaps I am lying on it."

He fumbled around on his hands and knees, trying to feel out exactly where in the jumper he was; nothing felt familiar, his hands bumped against random objects all of which felt strange to his cold, numb hands. " Hey, Sheppard! Answer me, damn you! Ronon…where the hell are you?"

"Here." Ronon's usually gruff voice was reduced to little more than a whisper.

"Where's here?"

"How should I know? It's dark."

"Ronon." The relief in Teyla's voice was clear. "Are you okay?" There was silence and Rodney felt the knot in his stomach grow tighter.

"Ronon?" she asked again.

"I'm hurt, I don't know how bad." The runner sucked in air, panting slightly. If Ronon was openly admitting to being hurt then it had to be bad, Rodney knew; the Satedan was as bad as Sheppard for playing the stoic hero.

"Stay still." Rodney called out. "Just stay still and I'll see if I can find a flashlight in this mess. Oh…oh, hang on!" Rodney realised he was still wearing his backpack; he reached around, wincing at the pain in his shoulders, and felt for his laptop. He managed to untangle it from the straps and brought it around to lay on the floor in front of him. He pulled the computer from its carry case and ran his hands across the cool, damp surface and prayed the shock-resistant casing had protected the technology inside. Opening it, he flipped it on and the screen came to life with a reassuring glow. The smile soon fell from his face as he saw the chaos surrounding him. Even in the faint light given out by the computer screen he could see that they were almost upside down, the jumper lying on its side at a forty-five degree angle. Teyla had managed to prop herself up against a wall that had once been the ceiling. Opposite her, lying in an awkward position, was Ronon, the runner's head tilted over to one side, resting against the rear hatch.

Rodney held up the screen, lighting as much of the jumper as he could; he turned toward the front compartment and could see why they had heard nothing from Sheppard.

"The bulkhead doors have sealed off the front of the ship. We have to get those open."

"I think you should concentrate on getting us some air first," Ronon pointed out.

"What? Oh my, no power! No power, no air." Rodney mentally kicked himself. He was cold and scared and he wasn't thinking straight.

"That's what I just said," Ronon stated plainly. Out-thought by the caveman, how bad could it get? Rodney berated himself. This was his territory; he was at his best under threat of death, that's what Sheppard always said. Getting the life-support back online was exactly the kind of goal he needed to focus himself.

"Oh! Um…I'm going to need more light."

He turned back to Teyla. Holding the screen up, he could see her P-90 hooked behind her back on the side where she cradled her damaged arm. Her hand sat at an angle that Rodney was fairly sure was anatomically impossible and he took steadying breaths trying not to look at it. He slid his backpack off and threw it into a corner then moved the laptop so it shone its pale light at Teyla. He carefully manoeuvred around her; when she looked up at him her face was almost ghostly in the dim light, her hair stuck down to her face from the rain, and he realised she was shivering and that the others must be every bit as freezing as he was. He crouched down carefully beside her; the strap of the gun was hooked around her arm.

"Okay, okay. I'm going to need to cut the strap." He turned, taking the laptop with him, and picked his way through the debris to Ronon. "I'm going to need to borrow one of your…" he shone the laptop at the Satedan, getting his first real look at the big man, and his mouth hung open, "knives…" he finished, his voice little more than a whimper. The dark stain spread down the big man's leg and a pool of blood was forming on the floor. "Oh my God! Oh God!" Rodney's panic began to close in around him again. "I knew this would happen." He pointed accusingly at the other man. "I knew it! You go around with all those knifes everywhere, one of these days this was bound to happen."

"What? Rodney what has happened?" Teyla cried out impatiently from behind him. Rodney swallowed back bile as he looked at the hilt sticking out of Ronon's thigh.

"He's impaled himself on one of his knives."

OoOoO

The pain in Ronon's leg burned; he breathed deeply, trying to stay still as every movement brought more pain. But it was difficult to stay still when he was shivering with cold. McKay had cut Teyla's P-90 free and, using the flashlight, had managed to get the weapons locker open, handing the spare P-90 to Ronon. He held it with the flashlight shining at the floor near where Rodney had the overhead control panel, which was now at their feet, open. Rodney had taken off his belt and fastened it around Ronon's thigh, trying to stem the flow of blood, but already Ronon was fighting off the effects of losing so much blood; his body was going into shock and if McKay didn't hurry they'd be running out of air soon too.

Despite his pain, he held the flashlight steady and watched as the scientist frantically checked the controls, hooking up his laptop, pulling components out and pushing them back in, all the while mumbling to himself. Neither he nor Teyla spoke as they watched; they both knew McKay was in his element and that their lives were in his hands now, and, although he would never say it out loud, there was no one Ronon would rather put his life in the hands of right now than Rodney McKay. The strange little man had confused Ronon at first, as had his bizarre relationship with Sheppard. The colonel had utter faith in the scientist and, to begin with, Ronon hadn't understood why but, over the last year, he had seen the inner strength McKay had and that, despite his constant whining and negativity, he would never give up.

The jumper creaked and they all looked up nervously. They had no way of knowing how much debris was on top of them; they could be completely buried and the storm still sending more of the mountain down on top of them. And then there was Sheppard. With the power down and only Rodney mobile, they had been unable to get the doors open and had no idea whether Sheppard was alive or dead in the front compartment. Teyla had tried using her radios to contact him, only to get no reply and eventually McKay had snapped at her to stop; his excuse was that he need quiet to concentrate but Ronon knew that really he was scared of what Sheppard's silence really meant.

Rodney once again didn't let them down; despite his own injuries and fumbling trembling fingers, they soon heard the gentle hiss that signalled the air was back online and a few seconds later the back-up lighting flickered on. Half the lights were smashed but it was enough to see clearly and the three of them took in the extent of the damage, not just to the jumper but to each other.

Ronon could only imagine how bad he looked. The sight of Teyla looking so small and fragile made him grit his teeth; she was a warrior and he hated to see her like this. Her broken arm lay at an unnatural angle and her lip was cut open. Whenever she moved, she breathed in short sharp pants, trying to contain the pain much as he was trying to fight the pain of the blade lodged in the flesh of his leg. McKay, who in the darkness had seemed relatively uninjured, was pale even by his standards and his face was streaked with blood from an abrasion across his forehead. A bruise on his cheek showed the imprint of Teyla's boot. They stared silently at one another and he could see Teyla's mind working, trying to work out what to say, how to proceed. McKay was close to going into shock, his face was beginning to go blank and without him they would be lost.

And Ronon was fighting his own battle with his body; his teeth chattered together with cold and his vision blurred in and out. He dropped his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to clear his sight, and when he opened his eyes again he was looking at a small object lying on the ground a few feet out of his reach.

"McKay." The scientist seemed to wince at the sound of his name. "Look." He nodded his head at the object, something he regretted when the world started spinning at the sudden movement. He sucked in air and leaned back.

"What? What are you…" McKay's irritability gave way to understanding when his eyes landed on the life signs detector lying among the disorder of the jumper. McKay reached down and gingerly picked it up, looking at it like it was about to explode in his hands. He looked imploringly at Ronon and then Teyla.

"Rodney, we need to know," she stated.

"But what if…what if he's…" McKay couldn't bring himself to say the word. Ronon was more practical.

"Then we won't waste valuable resources trying to get those doors open if we know there's only a corpse on the other side."

"Ronon! That was not necessary." He watched as Teyla swallowed back.

The stricken look on McKay's face raised a knot of guilt in his stomach, as did Teyla's abrupt reprimand, even though he could see in her face that she knew he was right. It was his choice of words that had offended her but he had never seen the need to sugar coat things. That's one of the things he liked about Sheppard; they were always straight with one another.

"Sheppard wouldn't want us wasting time on him if he's already dead. You know I'm right." McKay held the scanner up with shaking hands and, with a deep breath, switched it on. He stared at the screen for an agonising moment before his features sagged in relief and Ronon felt the tightness in his chest relax just a little as the scientist managed a small smile.

"He's still alive."

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**Under the Surface **

**Chapter Two **

"He's still alive."

Teyla let Rodney's words sink in and sighed with relief. When John had failed to answer her radio hails she had feared the worst but still she couldn't allow herself to relax completely because if he was unable to communicate with them, it meant he was probably still unconscious which could not be a good sign. Rodney still stood looking at the screen of the life signs detector, his brow creased in thought, the relieved smile slipping away as the reality of their situation came back to him.

She was glad Rodney had something to occupy his mind and only wished there was something more she could do; she did not usually suffer from claustrophobia but the thought of being trapped here made the jumper feel far more constricting than it had before. They had no idea how deeply they were buried. It could be there was only a thin layer of earth and debris on top of them but she remembered the sight of the mountain collapsing and falling toward them and feared that their situation was more dire.

She realised that Rodney had been through something similar before when he had been trapped under the ocean on Atlantica. John always hated her using that name for the planet; he said it was a terrible name but she suspected it was simply that it reminded him of Aiden Ford, the man who had suggested it in the first place.

Across from her Ronon sat, drowsing on the edge of consciousness; the flow of blood from his leg seemed to have slowed, the tourniquet doing its job. The angry cuts and bruises decorating the Satedan's head could not be helping and the pain was becoming more and more visible in his face, despite his best efforts to hide it.

"Rodney? I agree we should try to get to Colonel Sheppard as soon as possible but perhaps first we should see to our own injuries." She noticed the scientist look longingly toward the cockpit and she felt his pain; she too desperately wanted to find John but someone had to stay calm and think clearly.

Surprisingly the first aid box was still attached to the wall; Rodney pulled it down and rifled through its contents. Retrieving a small packet, he held it out to Teyla.

"I think you're the one most in need of these," he said softly. She smiled weakly back at him as she took the painkillers out of his hand.

"Thank you, Rodney." The pain in her arm was becoming unbearable, the slightest movement enough to bring tears to her eyes. She knew the little white tablets would only dull the pain a little but she would be grateful for anything to ease the throbbing hurt.

"Is there anything else we can do? Can I help you get more comfortable? Perhaps a sling or something." She saw his face visibly pale when he looked down at her broken arm, her hand twisted at a bizarre angle from the rest of her arm. She'd tried hard not to look at it herself and found that she was glad the jacket covered it so that she wouldn't be faced with seeing how bad it really was.

"I think it is best left alone." The merest thought of moving it again made her feel physically sick. "See to Ronon." Rodney looked down into the first aid box and then back at her his brow furrowed even deeper.

"I don't think I should give him anything."

"It's okay," Ronon assured him, already understanding, but the scientist's unwarranted guilt meant he explained himself anyway.

"It thins the blood and you've lost too much anyway and you hit your head pretty bad," Rodney gestured with his hand. "God I wish Carson was here. I don't know if any of this is right or not."

"I said it's okay," repeated the runner but it didn't ease the look of guilt and hurt on Rodney's face and Teyla's heart ached for them both and silently wished that Carson were with them too.

Teyla swallowed back the painkillers with a small swig of water and watched while Rodney put a dressing on Ronon's forehead and sprayed a powder into his dreadlocks to stem the bleeding of another cut further back on his head. She couldn't help but notice as Rodney moved around that his body had stiffened and occasionally his hand went to his side. It was typical of Rodney that he would claim to be near death at a minor injury yet hide ones more serious.

"You are hurt?" He shook his head irritably.

"I'm fine, just a little sore. I don't know if you noticed but we had a little accident." He smiled feebly at his joke.

"Perhaps you should take some tablets as well," Teyla suggested.

"No." He shook his head resolutely. "We don't have many. You'll want some more later and Sheppard may need some too." Teyla smiled affectionately at him.

"You are a good friend, Rodney McKay."

"Yes, well." He dismissed her compliment with a wave of his hand. "I'll make you all suffer for it when we get home." Ronon chuckled quietly, his eyes closed, and Teyla couldn't help but notice that his normally dark complexion was now drained of colour. "How about some warmth?" asked Rodney.

"Warmth would be good," mumbled the Satedan.

"Well, that should only take a second and then we'll get Sheppard out of there," he gestured to the front section of the jumper. "Pretty much everything is offline at the moment. There's no way I'm going to get the drive pods working but I'm guessing they wouldn't be a whole lot of use anyway." He knelt down and began working on the control panel again. "So what we need is a plan." He looked up at Teyla, distress written on his face. "I don't have a plan." His hand dropped from the panel he was working on. "I'm supposed to have a brilliant plan by now." The edge of panic had returned to his voice. Teyla tried to soothe him, understanding the fear that was driving his mood between panic and the nervous energy that passed for calmness in the world of Rodney McKay.

"First you must concentrate on keeping us alive, then we can work on a way to get home."

"Oh yes 'we'!" he spat out sarcastically. "Because you and Ronon are going to be real helpful when it comes to working out a plan to save our asses. As always, it's going to come down to me." He prodded a finger into his chest. "Me!"

"McKay, I can still kick your ass so why don't you shut the hell up!" Ronon growled, though the lack of force in his voice made Teyla wonder if he could make good on his threat even if he wanted too. She closed her eyes with a sigh.

"Ronon, that is not helpful. Rodney, we need you to stay focused. You are not the only one who is scared. I am sorry we cannot be of more help but arguing among ourselves will not be productive." He opened his mouth as if to say something in reply only to shut it again as though he had thought better of it and he settled for a simple, inarticulate 'sorry'.

Sometimes she felt like she had three younger brothers, each as impossible as the next. There was much love between the three men, she knew that, but they argued constantly and each had a unique talent for getting into trouble; a fact she and Doctor Weir had discussed only the day before, the levity of their conversation hiding the relief both of them felt that so far even the closest calls had ended well. She wondered how this situation would end; would their luck hold out this time? As a subdued Rodney returned to his work, she couldn't help but notice he carried the life signs detector with him; watching over Sheppard in the only way he could.

OoOoO

Rodney opened another compartment and hooked up the laptop. He pulled out a crystal with numb fingers and examined it; replacing it, he did the same with each crystal in the compartment, comparing the data on the laptop until he found the fault.

"Well, that's a problem," he said, to himself as much as anyone. "Hmm, well I don't think we're going to need the inertial dampeners right now so if I can reroute power…" He moved across the jumper, opening another panel, mumbling his thoughts as he went. The ache in his side was growing; it had started off as just a dull throb but was growing in intensity the more he moved about. He was fairly sure this is what a cracked rib or two felt like but it seemed petty of him to complain about it when he looked at the state of the others. Sheppard would never even let on he was hurt under these circumstances; so Rodney was going to do his best to play the brave little soldier, at least until they were back in Atlantis when he'd make sure they all knew how much he'd suffered and insist Carson dope him up to his eyeballs for the pain.

He was itching to get into the cockpit and check on Sheppard but Teyla was right, they needed to take care of themselves first. Besides, Sheppard would need to be warm too. If he rerouted all the power to the life support systems then they could survive down here until someone came looking, he thought, before correcting himself; he could survive here. He glanced up for a moment at Ronon; the runner looked more vulnerable than he would have thought possible. The blood loss would kill him long before a rescue party found them and, even if they were located, how long would it take for them to be dug out? The Daedalus was still more than a week out. Teyla was weak from pain but seemed perfectly lucid and her other injuries superficial but who knows what damage she had really done and, with the cold and shock, would she really be okay? And then there was Sheppard; well, Sheppard was an unknown quantity. He smiled to himself; that just about summed the Colonel up, didn't it? The unknown quantity. He sometimes thought he could live to be a hundred and still never understand Sheppard. Sometimes he doubted anyone would ever solve the enigma that was John Sheppard and he suspected that included the man himself.

Once he'd finished, he sat back and hit return on the laptop. The change in the frigid air of the jumper was almost immediate and he could feel the warmth against his face, though it would take a lot longer for it to penetrate his wet clothing. He peeled off his jacket and laid it to one side, feeling the warming air prickling against his damp skin, and then he turned to the doors, both eager to get them open and terrified of what he'd find on the other side.

OoOoO

Ronon shivered involuntarily despite the increasing warmth; the blade in his leg shifted slightly as he did so, sending a new wave of ice-cold pain through him. He could hear the low hum of the ship and feel the tiny vibrations of its systems as McKay slowly brought them back to life. McKay was now crouched over the panel nearest the cockpit, frantically attaching wires and moving seemingly identical crystals around. Finally he was working to get the doors opened; it had taken far too long for Ronon's liking although he knew that Teyla had been right to insist that they administer first aid to themselves before getting to Sheppard. The Colonel did what every commander should do - he put his people first. Teyla lay opposite him, her dark eyes watching McKay as he worked, her normally gentle expression twisted with pain and worry.

She was doing what she always did, being the voice of reason and keeping them together, not that they would really be together until they got those doors open. There was a time when Ronon had believed he would never follow orders again, not after the betrayal on Sateda, after his superiors, his leaders, had left them to die at the hands of the Wraith while they in their cowardice escaped through the gate, but Sheppard had won his trust, his respect and his friendship; they were brothers and that was something he had not expected to find after the death of his world. His mind drifted to his lost comrades and the broken world that had been left behind. And as he felt consciousness slipping away he thought of Melena and the life they had planned together…

…he awoke with a jolt to the sound of metal scraping against metal and someone calling his name. Snapping his head up, he opened his eyes; black spots swam across his vision and he blinked heavy eyelids trying to clear away the blurry film that seemed to cover them.

"Ronon?" He turned to Teyla and blinked till she was almost in focus. She smiled back with concern.

"I'm good," he said, a phrase of Sheppard's he'd picked up. One of many.

"Okay I'm ready." Rodney's usual clipped tones sounded flat and exhausted.

"What's happening?" Ronon asked, shocked at the weakness he heard in his own voice.

"Doctor McKay is about to open the doors." Ronon turned to the scientist and noticed that one of the manual release mechanisms had already been pulled down. McKay reached down to the other; kicking debris out of the way, he pulled the switch with a grunt, creating a similar noise to the one that had awakened Ronon moments before. There was an agonising pause, during which all three of them held their breath, and then the doors began to move slowly, almost lazily. Rodney stepped back, his eyes wide, as a small gap appeared. The doors opened to a width of about a foot and a half before a loud grinding noise and a sharp judder brought them to a halt. Ronon leaned forward, trying to see into the cockpit, but all he could see was darkness; through his still blurred vision nothing made sense.

"Oh my God," He heard McKay whisper under his breath.

"Rodney?" Teyla questioned. "Can you see him?" Ronon, frustrated at his immobility, tried to shift himself forward, grunting at the exertion and pain.

"What's happening? What can you see?"

OoOoO

"What's happening? What can you see?" he heard Ronon growl but Rodney couldn't answer; his eyes were fixed on the gap between the two bulkhead doors and the chaos of destruction on the other side.

"Rodney, where is John?" Teyla demanded.

"What can you see?" Ronon repeated, his voice stronger and louder with emotion.

"Oh crap!" Mud rained down into the cockpit, bringing smaller pieces of rock with it; a tree had smashed through the view screen, its roots snaking out across the cockpit. There was no light and little warmth in here.

"What?" Ronon asked, grunting in pain as he tried to edge himself forward.

"The view screen has caved in, the whole cockpit is…oh crap, I can't see him." Rodney pushed forward, squeezing himself through the gap and leaning in as far as he could. He could only see one working light and that was dimmed by the tree, mud, rocks and debris that had crumpled in the view screen. "Sheppard? Sheppard can you hear me?" "

"How could that happen, isn't this ship built to withstand space?" asked Teyla. Rodney looked back irritably.

"Space? Yes! Mountains falling on it? No! Funnily enough, I think this isn't a scenario the Ancients planned for while designing a space ship. We had no shielding whatsoever once the power was knocked out and God knows how much pressure we have bearing down on us, plus rocks and trees and who knows what else. We may as well have fallen out of the sky." He could see next to nothing in the dark confusion of the cockpit.

Rushing back, he grabbed Teyla's P-90 and, flicking on its flashlight, headed back again, squeezing himself as far into the tiny gap as he could manage, his ribs protesting at the exertion. The narrow beam bounced off the mayhem of machine and mud and tree and rock until what he had initially taken for more mud took on the shape of a boot; he followed the line he guessed the leg was going until the light hit pale skin smeared with a mixture of dirt and blood.

Sheppard was almost upside-down, much of his body trapped beneath the great trunk of the tree; his head lay limply to one side, his mouth was open and his lips were stained dark with blood. The sight made Rodney's heart tighten in his chest; Sheppard looked like a corpse.

"He's not moving!" Stepping back he snatched up the LSD; four indicators still flashed on the screen. Returning to the gap in between the doors he called out again. "Hey Sheppard! Quit fooling around and wake up already." He rested his head against the edge of the door and closed his eyes in despair. After everything they'd been through, all the crazy stunts they'd pulled and gotten away with, they were going to die here in this jumper, a stupid and utterly pointless death.

Rodney tried to push his way in further. "I can't reach him." He flicked the flashlight across the unconscious man's face. "Sheppard! Hey Sheppard! Time to wake up." He banged on the side of the jumper only to stop when the vibration dislodged small pieces of earth that fell around his head. "Okay, that's a bad idea."

"How bad does he look?" Ronon asked.

"Worse than you bad."

"Can you get to him?"

"No, I thought I'd made that clear with my 'I can't reach him' comment!"

"Try harder."

"What do you think I'm doing, for God's sake? I'm not good at this stuff; I'm the brains, you're the brawn and if you hadn't injured yourself in the dumbest way possible then maybe I could concentrate on finding us a way out of here!" He finished his rant and looked at the faces of his friends, immediately feeling abashed. His outburst had been unnecessary; they were both feeling guilty enough already that they couldn't help more and he knew it. Crisis situations brought out both the best and the worst of him.

It was just a mumble, a low muffled noise hardly discernable from the creaks and groans of the stricken jumper. It was only after hearing it for a second time that Rodney really took notice; he swung the beam of the P-90'd flashlight back to the pale face in the dark. Sheppard's eyes flickered open briefly, flinching away from the light.

"McKay?" he murmured.

"Yeah, I'm here." The was relief palpable in his voice and he didn't care because he knew his companions felt the same.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Ronon? Teyla?" Rodney looked back at the others and read their expressions.

"They're okay too. Teyla's busted up her arm and Ronon's hurt his leg but they'll be fine."

"Good."

"You?"

"Hmm?" Sheppard answered dreamily.

"Are you hurt bad?" Under the light of the flashlight he saw the Colonel's brow furrow as if confused. "Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn't." The hint of fear in Sheppard's voice was something Rodney had rarely heard. "McKay, I can't feel my legs."


	3. Chapter 3

**Under The Surface **

**Chapter Three**

"McKay, I can't feel my legs." His foggy head cleared in an instant at the realisation. John lifted his head as far as he could and fought to move his legs but his body was trapped underneath the debris that had smashed through the viewscreen. He writhed his upper body as best he could in the confined space, his breathing growing heavier and the blood pounding in his ears.

"Don't try to move!" McKay called out.

"I can't damn well move!" His vision swam, tiny pinpricks of light danced in front of his eyes.

"Then quit trying."

"Get me out of here, get all this crap off of me." Panic rose up in his stomach and tightened in his chest.

"No! I could hurt you more than you are already; just stay still. Stay still! God knows what damage you're doing to yourself. If it's your spine then…" McKay trailed off and John gritted his teeth, trying to bring his panic under control. His mind flashed back to the iratus bug incident when he had lain paralysed in the jumper, utterly helpless. The thought of being like that permanently crept into the back of his mind and took up residence; he tried to push it away. Looking across, he saw the silhouette of McKay turn to look back in to the rear compartment and knew there was some kind of silent communication passing between McKay and the other two. He hated not being able to see them; McKay had said they were okay but he needed to see it for himself.

"How long before the rescue crew gets here?" The silence that greeted his question was all the answer he needed. "So what's the plan McKay?"

"I'm still working on that."

"We thought it best to see to our wounds and get life support working first," Teyla said. Her voice sounded slightly distant but it was still good to hear her speak. What she said made sense; the news that McKay hadn't worked a way out of this yet was worrying to say the least but he was regaining command over his panic, his mind slipping into well worn patterns of thought.

"You did the right thing." They'd done what he would have done in their place; they'd kept their heads and right now that's what he had to do. The numbness that crept through his body was compounded by the biting cold he felt, his sodden, mud-laden clothing clinging to him and chilling him to the bone. "Okay, status report. Just how screwed are we?"

"Well, we're buried alive, no one knows we're here, I'm the only one who's mobile and the only thing I had even resembling a plan just went out the window, or rather the window just caved in on it. On a scale of one to ten, I'd say we're a good 9.8." McKay spat out the words in one breath.

"What was the plan?"

"Try to boost the range of the DHD so we could dial out and try and contact Atlantis. It was a long shot anyway." The scientist sighed.

"Even a long shot's worth a try."

"Even if I can get to the DHD who knows what state it's in underneath all this."

"Do you have another plan?"

OoOoO

McKay sighed and closed his eyes.

"No. There isn't another plan." They couldn't dig themselves out, they were in desperate need of medical attention and the only way they could contact Atlantis was if they could open a wormhole. This was their only shot and Rodney knew it. The DHD was above him, almost hidden by the tree that had smashed its way into the jumper. Getting to it would be a nightmare but he was already in a nightmare so he figured he had nothing to lose. The pain in his side was burning but he was the only one who could do this. Rodney to the rescue once again; if he got them through this one he was never going to let them forget it. Now he just had to work out how the hell he was going to get to the DHD. "Ronon, I don't suppose you have a chainsaw hidden about your person anywhere?"

OoOoO

"Ronon?" Teyla's voice sounded far away. "Ronon!" This time her tone was harder, her "mom voice" McKay called it. He rolled his head against the wall until he could see her through half open eyes.

"What?" Her still wet hair was flattened to her forehead and her eyes had taken on a sunken look, the painkillers McKay had given her clearly doing little to numb her pain.

"You had fallen asleep again. You must try to stay awake." So they know I'm not dead, he thought but didn't say it as he knew it would just earn him another rebuke from Teyla.

"I thought he'd just hurt his leg." Sheppard sounded worried, he wouldn't appreciate them holding back from him. Teyla's mouth drew in to a thin line.

"He also bumped his head and…and he has lost quite a bit of blood from the wound on his leg." After a moment's silence Sheppard spoke again.

"And you were planning on telling me this when?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine."

"Neither do you." Another moment of silence and he knew he'd hit home. It wasn't like Sheppard to let his fear show through and he had rarely heard panic in the man's voice, but when Sheppard had first regained consciousness it had been there. Sheppard was scared and, even now, though the Colonel had gained control over it, Ronon could sense it, just as much as he could sense the fear in McKay and Teyla. He wanted to believe he himself wasn't afraid but he knew that he'd be lying, if only to himself and that was the worst kind of lying.

"Let's just…keep talking." Sheppard suggested.

"Shouldn't be a problem for McKay," Ronon laughed drowsily, immediately regretting the action as the pain burned his leg, though the feeling was not as potent as it had been earlier, which he knew wasn't a good sign but he said nothing. What could anyone do anyway?

"Ha, ha! Very funny!" McKay sneered. "I don't talk that much and besides it would be a crime for a genius to keep his thoughts to himself, if you all paid attention to me a little better you might actually learn something." Ronon watched as McKay rifled through the scattered contents of the jumper, not seeming to know what he was looking for.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Ronon asked, his mind floating, the blood loss dulling his senses and making his own voice sound detached. He felt like he was drunk. "We could reminisce with McKay about his school days." He narrowed his eyes at McKay, suppressing the smirk that threatened to show on his lips. "You know your sister told us some great stories." McKay's head snapped up, his mouth drawn into a thin line.

"You know, I think it's about time I got to hear some stories about you guys for a change. As enjoyable as your ritual humiliation of me is, I think it's someone else's turn." McKay stood up from where he had been crouching and proudly brandished a tiny hacksaw; Ronon and Teyla both looked it dubiously and McKay's hopeful expression deflated. "So c'mon, time for someone else to tell a story." He pointed at Ronon. "For example, who's Melena?"

Ronon felt his heart lurch in his chest; it had been so long since he had heard her name spoken out loud and it felt wrong to hear her name spoken by McKay, by someone who hadn't been part of that world, his other lifetime.

"McKay!" He heard Sheppard hiss quietly. Sheppard knew, not the details but he knew enough. He hadn't meant to tell him but he had and the Colonel had just nodded and hung his head. When he had looked back up and their eyes had met he had known that Sheppard understood and that had been enough.

"What?" McKay was as oblivious as always to anything that wasn't spelt out for him. "He was saying her name in his sleep…I just…I was curious."

When Ronon spoke his voice sounded distant, as though it were someone else speaking the words. "She's dead. She was my wife."

OoOoO

Teyla wanted to reach out to Ronon, to comfort him, but she knew that even if she could move he would most likely reject her; he kept things hidden, though not as well as he thought, at least not from her. None of them did, not Ronon, not Sheppard, not even McKay. She had not known that Ronon had been married but for some reason it didn't come as a surprise to her. She looked up at McKay now, frozen in place, his facial muscles tense, a mortified expression in his widening eyes. John admitted to being socially inept but he was a born diplomat compared to Rodney. Yet beneath the brashness and seemingly uncaring nature there was a surprisingly sensitive soul.

"I…I didn't know." McKay stuttered. "How could I have known?" He turned to Teyla, his eyes searching her face. "I didn't know. I mean who'd have thought Ronon was…" He turned back to the Satedan. "Well that's not to say that…it's just you don't seem the type to…you know." He stopped talking though his mouth kept moving, opening and shutting as though he wanted to say something but his brain couldn't think of the words.

"Continue with your work," she whispered gently. She offered a solemn smile to the scientist who headed toward the cockpit and squeezed himself through the gap between the doors.

Teyla turned back to Ronon who had once more turned his face away from them, his hazy eyes staring at the back of the jumper though she suspected his mind was far away.

"I am sorry, Ronon. I truly am."

"Why? You didn't kill her. The Wraith did. They killed everyone. My wife, my parents, my friends, my world." Though he'd turned away from her, Teyla caught the gleam of a tear on his cheek. "I tried to persuade her to leave, to run, but the hospital was full and she wouldn't abandon her patients. She was a good person. Better than I deserved."

Teyla felt tears welling in her own eyes. She had known suffering and loss at the hands of the Wraith her entire life but only now did it really occur to her how much Ronon had lost. She had watched so many of her people die, her family, those she loved. Yet, though Athos was lost, her people still survived and she would never know the isolation that Ronon had endured for so long.

"You should have told us before. We are your friends, Ronon. Always remember that."

"But none of you knew her, there's no one left but me. "

"Then tell us about her, do not keep her locked away in your memories."

"Another time." Teyla smiled sadly.

"When you are ready, we shall be here." _I hope._

OoOoO

Rodney gathered flashlights and duct taped them together, fashioning a lighting rig to illuminate the area where the jumper's DHD should be. The light revealed the true extent of the damage to the cockpit and also showed the ghostly pallor of Sheppard's skin, the blood dried on his lips and cheek a dark, rich rust colour among the streaks of dirt.

"You look like crap!" The words came out of his mouth as he thought them, something that happened all too often. Luckily Sheppard knew him well enough not to be offended.

"Don't look so hot yourself." Rodney grimaced as he squeezed himself through the gap and braced himself against the half closed door, feeling the bite of acid in his throat at the pain emanating from his ribs. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he snapped back, knowing he wasn't fooling anyone. "Why didn't you tell me?" he said keeping his voice low. "If I'd have known, I'd never have said anything."

"It wasn't my place to say anything," Sheppard whispered back.

"I thought we were friends - a team."

"If he wanted to tell you, he would have." Rodney knew Sheppard was right but he felt guilty and when he felt guilty he needed someone else to blame, though looking at Sheppard's pale face he found it hard to blame him for anything. He'd have to wait until they got back to Atlantis to find someone to shout at. Now all he had to do was the impossible, something Sheppard constantly told everyone he could do – normally, he'd agree but this time he wasn't so sure.

"Can you…you know?"

"Feel my legs? No, nothing."

"Well, I'm going to be careful; if anything shifts or you get any pain I'll try and work from another angle. Or something."

"McKay, you get us out of here as soon as you can. Don't worry about me."

"Oh, there you go again, Mr Self-sacrifice. I'm the one who has to live with the guilt of paralysing you if I make a wrong move." He regretted the words almost as soon as they had left his mouth and felt another spasm of guilt upon seeing the muscles in Sheppard's face tighten.

"Then don't make a wrong move." Sheppard's voice was sombre. "I trust you. Always do."

"I'll do my best but I really don't know if I can do this quick enough…for..." For Ronon, that's what he wanted to say, maybe Sheppard too. Elizabeth would send a team to look for them sooner or later but that wouldn't be for hours - hours without medical attention.

"McKay, I've never known you to give up before, don't now." Rodney settled back with a heavy sigh and began sawing at the nearest part of the tree - a root as thick as his leg. This was going to take a while. Once again, he tried to turn his thoughts away from their predicament.

"So, do you have any dead wives in your murky past?" Rodney asked. A sad smile crossed Sheppard's.

"No. No living ones either."

"Well, I'm not surprised. You're more the love 'em and leave 'em type."

"You know, my reputation as a womaniser has been greatly exaggerated…mostly by you."

"Oh please, you flirt with every woman you meet."

"I do not flirt with every woman I meet…just the cute ones…or when I want to get my own way." A smirk twitched at the corner of Sheppard's mouth.

"You're shameless."

"You're jealous." Sheppard fired back. Rodney sighed; he couldn't deny it. He remembered being told on more than one occasion that women found intelligent men sexy; he'd decided quite early on in life that it was a lie.

OoOoO

For once, John was glad of Rodney's incessant talking; the stream of consciousness pouring from the scientist's mouth gave him something to hang on to. Every now and then he would add a comment of his own and the familiar banter was comforting for both of them. The position he was trapped in had long since passed uncomfortable and moved through mildly painful to settle on agonising, not that he was going to tell McKay that. He didn't want to slow Rodney down if there was a hope any of them were going to get out of this alive.

It was a strange sensation; the numbness in his legs combined with the fire in his shoulders and neck, his chest felt constricted and heavy and his head leaden. His ears buzzed and black specks floated across his vision and he was so damn cold. McKay said that the heating was working in the jumper but the damp earth and debris above him sucked the warmth from him and the chill seeped into him.

In the other compartment he could hear Teyla's soft and calming voice talking in low tones to Ronon who replied in occasional grunts and hoarse words, his voice sounding weaker by the minute. Teyla too, he could tell, was in pain; there was an underlying strain to her voice as she tried to overcome it.

John knew McKay was hurt more than he was letting on, could see the winces and grimaces as he worked and couldn't help but feel a little proud of his friend, not that he'd ever tell him that. McKay always came through for them no matter what; the whole team did. He knew they would always have his back and, as he'd once told Teyla, he'd do anything for anyone of them - which only made his current helplessness harder to take. He didn't do powerless well. His need to be doing something, anything, was overwhelming to the point that he wanted to scream.

McKay was regaling him with stories of his first love. McKay, being McKay, had gone to a school for the gifted and had spent most of his childhood surrounded by people every bit as socially inadequate as himself. But when you gain your first degree during puberty, life was never going to be normal. The girl's name was Gretchen and she was a mathematical genius and musical prodigy. They had bonded over a rigorous discussion on set theory.

"She had a mystery to her, you know," McKay said. "Artistic as well as academically brilliant. Of course music is just another form of math." He lifted his head from his work. "And she had a beautiful smile…well, if you ignored the braces." John felt a slight smirk building on his face which caused McKay to snort indignantly. "That's it, go ahead and mock my most cherished memories."

"I wasn't mocking. It's a very…nice memory."

"So, your turn. C'mon, first love." John smiled, thinking back.

"Julie Atwood," he answered without hesitation. "I moved around a lot as a kid, made it kind of hard to make friends. We'd just moved, must have been '79, something like that. I was at junior high anyway. I didn't know anyone but there was this big fair in town and my Dad made me go." He swallowed back, his mouth dry, and took a deep breath, stretching out his aching ribs. "I ended up walking around on my own, utterly miserable. I must have looked really pathetic because she came over to talk to me. I was just this skinny, awkward kid with bad hair and I couldn't believe my luck. Kept thinking maybe it was some kind of joke, you know? Humiliate the new kid." He smiled at the memory. "But it wasn't. We rode on the ferris wheel, when we got to the top she kissed me." He couldn't help the smile widening on his face and for a moment the pain was forgotten. He didn't think he'd ever really spoken about it to anyone but it was a happy memory from an unhappy time of his life and that made it all the more precious.

"You were in junior high in 1979?" John was snapped out of his reverie by McKay's wide-eyed question. "Oh my God, you're older than me!" The scientist grinned from ear to ear. "You're older than me, I mean that must make you…" John narrowed his eyes at McKay and gritted his teeth at the smug smile that appeared on McKay's face. "You're 40?"

"I'm 39...and a half."

"Oh, this is brilliant!"

"McKay!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, are we a little sensitive about our age? You know, there's nothing wrong with being middle aged."

"I am not middle aged. I'll have you know I'm in my prime," he growled. "Now hurry up and get us out of here so I can kill you."

OoOoO

Teyla sighed inwardly. She should have known that John and Rodney couldn't be nice to one another for any prolonged amount of time. Ronon was no longer responding to her voice and had settled into a deep sleep; she kept her eyes focused on him, watching he quiet rise and fall of his chest. Listening to John and Rodney reminisce, their voices softer than normal, allowing a brief window into their thoughts, had stirred up her own memories. Of stealing kisses with Cal, the son of one of her fathers friends. She had believed herself in love; she remembered the heartbreak upon realising he had not felt the same.

The first time the radio crackled she barely heard it, the second time it took a moment before she registered just what it was. Her hand fumbled for the radio that lay on the floor beside her and she depressed the switch.

"This is Teyla. Come in?" Rodney stepped out of the cockpit and stared at her in hope and disbelief.

"Teyla, what is it?" John asked.

"There was static." She once again held the radio to her mouth. "This is Teyla, can anyone hear me?"

"Te…a…g…od…hear…y…voi…" Teyla looked at Rodney, her astonished smile mirroring his.

"Major Lorne, is that you?"

"Affim…tive. We're on…way." Rodney laughed almost hysterically.

"But how did they know? I mean, that's impossible!"

"Rodney, right now I don't care how they know. I'm just glad they're here," John said.

"Teyla, can you hear me better?"

"Yes, Major. I can hear you clearly."

"What's your status?"

"Ronon has suffered serious injury and has lost a great deal of blood, Colonel Sheppard is trapped. I have a broken arm but am otherwise unharmed and Doctor McKay appears to have suffered only superficial injuries," she reported.

"Okay. There are medical teams on the way. We're right above you now; the locals have already started digging you out and we've got three teams and half a dozen Genii here too so we'll get to you as soon as we can."

"Genii?" Teyla asked incredulously.

"The locals were worried about you so once the storm abated the elders sent out some men to check you managed to make it through the gate okay. When they saw one of the drive pods sticking out of the debris they went to the gate and contacted the most advanced race they knew of."

"The Genii," Teyla finished for him.

"Yeah. Ladon contacted Atlantis and has sent along some help."

"I wonder what he'll want in return for that little favour," Rodney mumbled. A creak followed by a dull thump came from above them. "We're going to be okay," Rodney marvelled. "We might actually get out of this alive." There was another groan from above them then the jumper shifted slightly. Teyla winced as pain knifed through her arm and Rodney stumbled slightly. She raised her hand to warn their rescuers but before the radio reached her mouth the jumper shifted again and all she could hear was John crying out in pain.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N** - Finally here's Chapter 4, sorry for the delay, this was originally intended to be the last chapter but I rambled on too much so there's one more to go after this. As always thanks to all of you for the feedback and thank you to Alipeeps for the beta._

* * *

Under the Surface - Chapter 4

Major Lorne's hand gripped tighter on the radio; the cries barely sounded human and it took a moment for him to register that they were coming from his CO. Teyla's frantic voice came across the radio.

"Stop! The cockpit is collapsing in on Colonel Sheppard."

"Stop digging!" Lorne yelled at his fellow rescuers. "Stop digging!" he repeated. Heads turned his way, looks of bewilderment on the faces of his companions. "Colonel Sheppard is trapped in the forward section and it's collapsing in on him. Frischmann, get a jumper in the air and scan the ground from above - we need to get our bearings." The Major rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily with frustration. This was turning into a nightmare, they needed to get to the trapped jumper quickly but digging them out was going to be a slow and painstaking process. He spoke into the radio once more.

"Teyla, we're going to hold back until we've got a detailed scan of the ground and we know what we're dealing with. We're going to get to you as soon as we can but…just sit tight, we're coming."

OoOoO

"…sit tight, we're coming." Sit tight? They had little choice. The hand holding the radio dropped into her lap and Teyla leant her head back against the wall; the pain in her arm radiated through her whole body and she fought to stay as still as possible. Her eyes followed Rodney as he desperately tried to gain access to the cockpit.

OoOoO

Rodney flashed the torch across the cockpit to where Sheppard lay; he could hear the Colonel gasping for air in short sharp cries but could no longer see him under the dirt and debris.

"Sheppard! Sheppard, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Rodney, I'm just peachy." Sheppard's voice was barely audible inbetween his rasping breaths; he grunted out a pained, "Oh crap."

"How bad is it?" Rodney asked desperately.

"Bad!" Sheppard gasped in another breath. "Can't breathe."

Rodney scrambled back across to Teyla and grabbed the radio from her hand. "Lorne, you need to hurry!"

"Trust me, McKay, we're moving as fast as we can."

"Well, move faster. Sheppard's being crushed and Ronon…" He glanced across at the frighteningly still form of the Satedan. "Ronon…" He approached the big man slowly and, reaching out a trembling hand, pressed it against Ronon's throat, feeling his own heart clench as he felt the faint pulse of the runner through his fingertips. He held the radio to his mouth once more, his voice more desperate than angry. "We need to get them out of here….now!"

"We're getting a jumper in the air; we'll scan the area from above, get a better idea of what we're facing. The medical team's on its way. Just hang tight, Doc." Rodney screwed his eyes tightly shut. He felt utterly helpless; he wasn't good at helpless, he needed to be doing something but there was nothing more he could do - they were in the hands of the rescue party now. He made his way back across to the front compartment and sat on the floor, his back leaning against the half-opened door. Sheppard's laborious breathing had regulated into a scratchy rhythm punctuated by the occasional grunt of pain.

McKay looked up to find Teyla watching him; the pain and fear he felt was reflected in her brown eyes and words seemed empty and superfluous. All they could do now was wait.

OoOoO

To think he had been scared by his lack of pain just a short time ago; now his body was alive with a searing fire of agony and he fought for every breath. The weight bearing down on him was slowly crushing the life out of him and he was no longer sure how long he could hold on for; the relief at the sound of Lorne's voice on the radio had been replaced by fear and by the panic he'd fought so hard to control…but mostly by anger.

He was pissed; all he could think of was what a pointless death this was. All the crazy, dumbass stunts he'd pulled over the years and this is how he was going to die? There was no justice in that. Maybe it was that little streak of vanity in him or maybe it was just the need to feel like he had made a difference but he'd always hoped to go out in a blaze of glory, saving the day; to be remembered a hero instead of a screw-up. He'd come to terms with his own mortality a long time ago; he knew that in his line of work it was always a case of when rather than if your luck would run out and he'd seen far too much death, caused too much of it, not to realise how fragile the human grasp on life is. Death wasn't what scared him, it wasn't even the pain, it was the thought of everything he hadn't done, of everything he would be leaving behind, and he wasn't ready for that yet. There was still so much for him to do, so much for him to say.

Why could he never say what he really meant? Even Rodney was better at expressing his feelings when it really came down to it. Heightmeyer had called him 'emotionally dysfunctional' in one of her reports, a report he wasn't supposed to have read but it was about him after all so as far as he was concerned he had every right to. She seemed to think he hadn't been hugged enough as a child or something. Maybe she was right or maybe he just wasn't a touchy feely kind of person, not everyone was and he'd just always assumed that they, his team, his friends, knew how much they meant to him. Now all he could do was hope that was true.

As he struggled for every breath and the fight in him began to wane, his mind dragged up images of his father and he realised sadly that he didn't have any regrets there, that there was nothing left to say between the two of them. He wondered if the old man would ever find out how and where his son had died and, if he did, would it really change anything in the grand scheme of things; some how he doubted it would. He closed his eyes and let the sound of his own rasping breath lull him to sleep.

OoOoO

Lorne looked over Captain Frischmann's shoulder and examined the telemetry the jumper had gathered, sighing heavily. This wasn't going to be easy. Stepping out of the jumper, he called for the rescue teams to gather round.

"Listen up, people. We've got to take this steady; the front end of the jumper is pretty unstable so we've got to concentrate on digging over here." He gestured with his hand. "We'll shore up as we go along, which means we'll need some supports. Any ideas where we're going to get those from will be gratefully received." He clapped his hands together. "Right! Let's get our people out of there." As one, the group surrounding him moved off and began organising themselves.

OoOoO

"He's not responding." McKay peered into the dark mass of debris that had consumed the cockpit. "I can't hear him breathing, can you hear him breathing?"

"Rodney, I can hear nothing beyond your talking." Teyla replied, her voice nothing more than a whisper. "Can you still see his life sign?" Rodney checked the screen for the hundredth time and the tiny dot representing Sheppard was still there among the jumble of life signs of their rescuers milling around above them.

"Yes."

"Then he is still breathing." The strain on her face was ever more visible and she had begun to shake again.

"How are you doing?" he asked gently. "You cold?"

"A little."

He looked around helplessly.

"You know, when we get back I'm going to suggest a review of the emergency packs in the jumpers; we need blankets and a lot more drugs. A big pile of drugs." His ribs ached more than he thought possible and he was running on adrenalin alone. He tried to believe that he would soon be lying on a soft mattress in the infirmary between clean, dry, cotton sheets experiencing the sweet numbness of Carson's finest painkillers. A sudden creak above them caused him to look up; he could hear muffled thuds.

"They have begun digging again." Teyla's voice was flat and weary.

"About time." He turned back to the cockpit, leaning in as far as he could, and listened; somewhere beyond the sounds of their rescuers above, he thought he could hear a quiet rasping breath.

OoOoO

Lorne stood up and stretched the crick out of his back; he wiped the sweat from his forehead, replacing it with a smear of the thick mud that coated his hands. They were making progress but it was frustratingly slow. The locals had brought in a carpenter from their village and they had to keep stopping to allow the burly native to shore up and prevent the still sodden ground from covering the jumper again. The remnants of the storm were still visible as a purple smear across the horizon and in its wake it had left a sky of mottled clouds and gentle showers; the wind still whipped around them, making their task treacherous, and he'd made sure that they were ready for a fast getaway should the ground begin to shift again. He knew they'd got lucky; had the storm had been moving slower, they would be recovering bodies now.

"Major Lorne, where are we?" He turned at the voice to see the familiar form of Doctor Carson Beckett surrounded by his med team and laden down with equipment and supplies. Lorne relinquished his place to one of the Genii soldiers and joined the doctor.

"We're getting there. As soon as we can get it safe enough we're going to cut through the hull. Then we're going to need at least one of your guys to go down there, it sounds like they're in a bad way."

"I'll go." Carson answered without hesitation. It was the reply Lorne was expecting; when it came to the well-being of his patients, Beckett's courage knew no bounds and the four people they were desperately trying to save were among the doctor's dearest friends.

OoOoO

"Teyla love, are you there?" Teyla felt her body relax slightly; Carson's voice had that effect on people. The accent, though strange to her ears, had an almost musical quality to it that matched the kindness inherent in the doctor's personality.

"Yes, I am here."

"It's good to hear your voice. How are you feeling?"

"I would be lying if I said I was fine."

"Can you describe your injury for me and give me a run down on the condition of the others?"

"Of course. My only major injury is a broken arm. I am unable to see the extent of the damage but I believe it to be quite serious, the bone may have penetrated the skin."

"What?" Rodney turned to her and even in the pale light his face took on a green tinge. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I hear Rodney is still fully conscious." Behind the sarcasm she could sense the relief in Carson's voice.

"Yes, Doctor McKay is both awake and mobile, though he appears to be in some pain. I suspect he has some injuries to his ribs." Rodney dropped his head, seemingly embarrassed that she had seen through his attempt to put a brave face on things.

"And what about Ronon and Colonel Sheppard?"

"Ronon lost consciousness some time ago. He has lost a great deal of blood; one of his knifes penetrated his leg during the crash."

"Whereabouts in his leg?"

"His thigh, about half way between the knee and hip."

"And Colonel Sheppard?"

"He is trapped in the cockpit section; we have been unable to ascertain his condition. He was conscious earlier though he was unable to feel his legs. When the cockpit collapsed further he was having difficultly breathing and then lost consciousness."

"And you can't get to him?"

"No, Doctor McKay has tried."

"Okay love, sit tight I'll be with you soon." _Sit tight_. There was that phrase again.

"Soon? Maybe they'd like to define soon."

"They are doing all they can, Rodney. They will get to us as quickly as they can." Teyla saw the scientists eyes flicker back toward the cockpit before settling on the all too still form of Ronon. His mouth quivered when he spoke.

"But what if it's not quick enough?"

OoOoO

Rodney knew all about time; of course he knew all about pretty much everything but time was pretty near the top of the list of things he knew everything about. He knew time was relative, that it could change and bend, slow down or speed up. His knowledge came not only from the comforting equations that bounced around his head but from the ten years worth of bizarre happenings at the SGC and the three equally fantastic years on Atlantis. They'd seen time dilation fields from both sides and, although his extraordinary mind knew it wasn't true, it really did feel as though the world above them had slowed down while in the jumper the minutes ticked by at an ever-increasing rate.

The adrenalin that had been pumping through his system since the moment he had seen the mountainside raging toward the jumper had dissipated and he was left with only pain and fear. His ribs hurt like a bitch; he didn't have Sheppard's supposed high pain threshold or his stoicism, normally by now he'd be screaming for morphine but it seemed wrong to complain when his friends were all so much worse off. Teyla's soulful eyes were fixed on Ronon's unnaturally still form. He thought about what she had said to Carson and once again felt the acid rise in his stomach at the thought of her arm broken and twisted beneath the cloth of her jacket. He knew she must be in incredible pain but she still thought of her friends first. She had seen through his own attempts to disguise his injuries; he liked to think it was because she knew him so well rather than him being unable to hide his pain.

Both he and Teyla sat in silence listening to the muffled thuds and scrapes of their rescuers above them and the barely audible breathing of Sheppard and Ronon. Rodney could almost feel them slipping away and it hurt. That was the drawback to having friends; there was the constant fear of losing them. Sometimes he wondered if he wouldn't be better off if he'd never met Sheppard but the thought was a fleeting one; he knew he wouldn't change the last three years for the world and that included every argument, insult and half-assed plan. Rodney knew he'd lived more in the last three years than he had in the previous thirty, he thrived on the adrenalin buzz he got from saving the galaxy on a regular basis; what he wouldn't give for such a task now because the helplessness was killing him.

"You know, it's kind of sad when you think about it." Rodney had never been good at silence, it made him nervous. "If we hadn't come to Atlantis, then the four of us, we'd never have known each other. I mean, maybe Sheppard and I might have met I suppose but we'd never have been friends you know? It's not like we have a lot in common."

"I think you are more alike than you know."

"You think?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, I think so." She smiled at him; her eyes shimmered in the dim light and he realised they were tears of pain and swallowed back hard.

"Huh!" He gave a half hearted grin. "Well, I guess I'm probably a little cooler than people give me credit for and he's not as dumb as he looks." She continued to smile drowsily and the silence threatened to take over again so he continued with his line of thought. "So, what I was saying is that there are an infinite number of parallel universes out there; in most of them we wouldn't exist at all, in fact in most of them life wouldn't exist and even if it did and humans were around, chances are we wouldn't be. I mean the slightest little thing and it changes the course of history. All it would have taken is for one of our ancestors to have spent five minutes longer looking for his sock in the morning and we'd never exist."

"His sock?"

"Yes, they can't find their sock, so they're five minutes later leaving the house then they might never meet the person who would have become their spouse and the whole course of the timeline changes. It's kind of like that movie Sliding Doors, have you seen that? No, no, I don't suppose you have. Not that it's my kind of movie or anything, it's a chick flick but there was this cute theoretical mathematician and we went on a date and…" He stopped, realising that he was rambling. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that there are other universes and other Rodney McKays and Teyla Emmagans who never met, never even heard of Atlantis. They're happy and healthy and living safe, comfortable lives - and you know what? I wouldn't swap places with them for anything; whatever happens, I'm glad I was born in this universe." Fleetingly her smile grew a little brighter.

"As am I."

OoOoO

Lorne stamped his boot down and felt the smooth, solid surface of the jumper's hull beneath his feet; finally they were getting somewhere. Working quickly, they cleared a big enough area for them to be able to work, only to have to wait again while the carpenter made the area safe. As soon as the craftsman had finished, Lorne jumped back down onto the jumper.

"Get the cutting tools down here now! Contact Atlantis and update Doctor Weir."

"And make sure there are med teams standing by in the gate room," added Doctor Beckett.

Lorne raised his radio to his mouth.

"Teyla, we're about to start cutting."

"That is good to hear, Major."

"We'll be with you soon." The cutting torch and gas canister were passed down to him and he donned the protective glasses and gloves. Kneeling down, he turned on the torch and put it to the surface of the jumper; sparks flew up and sizzled against the mud. It was a laborious task; the Ancient ship was designed to withstand the traumas of space, including re-entry through the atmosphere, but the science team had adapted the cutting torch, using a gas that burned hotter, and they assured him that without the jumper's shielding active they should be able to cut through the hull. Soon the heat became too much for him and Beckett, who seemed to have developed a sixth sense with regard to his charge's physical state, called out for someone to take his place. Lorne was breathing heavily as he was lifted out of the hole, one of the engineers, a compact looking man in his forties, sliding down to take his place. The major sat down on a muddy boulder, his clothes already sodden with mud and sweat. Looking around him, he wondered if Atlantis's plumbing would hold out with the amount of people there would be needing hot showers.

No one seemed able to withstand more than a few minutes cutting at a time, the heat simply becoming too much to stand, but Lorne made sure that he was the one holding the torch when they finally made the breakthrough.

OoOoO

The tiny sparks rained down in the dim interior of the jumper. Rodney had hooked his jacket up and lain it over Ronon's face like a veil, to protect it from being burnt, but had left a tiny gap so that the side of the runner's face was still visible. Teyla knew he had done so because he had felt it wrong to cover Ronon's face, that that was something reserved for the dead. For the longest time it had felt like their rescuers were making no progress; time passed slowly, the minutes etched with the pain that radiated out from her broken and twisted arm. Suddenly the sparks stopped and Lorne's voice crackled over the radio that lay in her good hand.

"We're nearly there, just few more seconds and we can start getting you out of there." Rodney sat with his back against the bulkhead and leaned back, shouting to John.

"You hear that Sheppard? They've finally got their asses in gear; we're going to be okay." She knew he didn't quite believe that yet and that he had no idea if the Colonel could hear him or not but he carried on talking just the same, silence was an unnatural state for the scientist and he drowned out his fear with words. "Of course, you'll end up with all the cute nurses again and I'll get the one with the moustache."

"Rodney!" Teyla berated him weakly but his retort died on his tongue and both their eyes turned upward as hammering blows beat down upon the section of hull where their rescuers had been at work. For one awful moment Teyla thought that it was going to cave in on them but slowly it shifted upward and, as it lifted, light and voices drifted down through the gap on the cool, fresh air. The dirt-streaked face of Major Lorne peered in at them with a grin.

"Ready to go home?"

"Actually, I was planning on staying here, a few throw cushions and I'm sure it would be quite charming." Rodney stood up; stretching himself out. Teyla noticed him check the life signs once again and just caught his whispered words, "Hang in there, Sheppard."

"Watch yourselves, the metal's still hot," Lorne's voice called out as a pair of feet were lowered through the hole to be followed by the rest of Carson Beckett. The doctor's gentle blue eyes quickly took in the scene around him and, upon settling on Ronon, an expression of alarm crossed his face.

"Is he..?"

"No! No, no, I just didn't want the sparks to burn his face," Rodney explained hurriedly. "He's going to be okay, right?" Carson didn't reply immediately and Teyla watched as the doctor assessed Ronon with practised eyes, his fingers gently examining the wound on his leg.

"Bloody hell," he mumbled under his breath before shouting up to the others above. "Get a backboard down here, we need to get Ronon out of here now! And make sure they're ready for him in the OR."

A second medic was lowered down into the jumper along with the backboard and, with his help, Carson rolled Ronon and gently secured him place. Teyla could only watch as her friend was lifted with great care out through the opening; she sent with him her prayers.

OoOoO

Rodney watched as Ronon was lifted out of the jumper, feeling utterly helpless and strangely alone. Now Carson was here this was his show; the unassuming little Scotsman had taken control as he always did in these situations. People who had never seen Carson in an emergency wouldn't recognise him right now, his usual easy-going, even timid, nature replaced by a calm control and an assertiveness and courage that seemed in direct contrast to most people's first impression of the doctor. As Carson turned his attention to Teyla, Rodney placed his hands flat against the bulkhead doors as if he could somehow connect with Sheppard and will him to hang on.

"We need to get Sheppard out of there."

"Aye Rodney, I know but we need to take care of you and Teyla first."

"I'm fine."

"Like hell you are." The slightest touch from Carson elicited a pained cry from Teyla and Rodney winced. "Teyla love, we're going to put you on a backboard like we did Ronon to lift you out. It's going to hurt."

"I know." Teyla clenched her jaw in a show of courage. Another backboard was being passed down to the second medic, a sandy haired young man whose name Rodney couldn't remember.

"Do you need a minute?" Carson asked Teyla. She shook her head gently.

"I wish to get it over with."

"Good girl."

Rodney wasn't prepared for her scream. When they moved her, the cry that came from her throat seemed to vibrate in his stomach and he had to breathe deep to prevent himself from being sick. All he could do was watch in wide-eyed horror as they settled her on to the board, her eyes streaming with tears of pain as she breathed heavily through gritted teeth. As they lifted her out, every movement seemed to add to her pain and with each hitch of her breath he felt his own body tense in sympathy.

Finally, they had her settled onto the board and he watched as another of his friends was hoisted out of the stricken jumper; that only left Sheppard. Rodney was still stood hard up against the bulkhead when Carson turned his attention to him.

"Your turn next, Rodney."

"Sheppard first."

"Rodney, you need medical attention."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're clearly in pain," Carson argued.

"We don't leave people behind." It was Sheppard's mantra, one the Colonel believed in without compromise, and that intensity of belief had rubbed off on the rest of the expedition.

"Too bloody right we don't and I can assure you that I'm going nowhere until we've got John out of there but I can't be worrying about you the whole time."

"I won't be any trouble, maybe I can help."

"You can barely stand." Carson placed a gentle hand on Rodney's shoulder. "We've got more than enough men up there willing to help. Please Rodney, let us do our job." Carson paused, his brow furrowed with concern and his clear blue eyes burned bright even in the dull light. "We're wasting time Rodney, you need to go." A ladder was lowered down through the opening and a man and a delicate-looking woman he vaguely recognised as yet another medic appeared. He realised Carson was right; he would be of no use here and at least back on Atlantis he could keep an eye on Ronon and Teyla.

"Okay."

"Good man. Doctor Nyberg here will take good care of you." He gestured to the young woman who smiled encouragingly.

"Just a minute." Rodney gripped the opening in the bulkhead door and shouted through into the dark wreckage on the other side.

"Sheppard, can you hear me? Don't go dying okay? 'Cos if you die I'm going to be seriously pissed; I have no intention of taking orders from Caldwell." There was no answer. Part of him believed that if he hung on for just a few more seconds, Sheppard's slow, west coast drawl would answer him but no reply came and he turned as gentle yet persistent hands manoeuvred him onto a stretcher of his own and he was lifted out into the dusky light.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **I'm am so very, very sorry that this has taken such a long time appearing and I'm even more sorry that it is still no where near finished, for something that was originally going to be a 4 chapter story it's taken on a life of it's own, and that it may very well be a long time before chapter 6 emerges, I didn't plan it this way but as those of you who know me can attest to I have been very down of late and unwell physically for some time. I'm not making excuses I'm just forewarning you that my bouts of writing are pretty erratic these days._

_Betaed as always by the wonderful Alipeeps _

**Chapter 5**

Lorne watched as McKay was lifted out into the open; the scientist lay on the stretcher in uncharacteristic silence, his tired and pain filled eyes distant. As the medical team passed by, McKay's head turned in Lorne's direction and he spoke three words.

"Bring him home."

Before Lorne could answer the stretcher had moved on and McKay was being loaded into the back of a jumper. As he headed back toward the stricken jumper, where his CO and friend lay still trapped beneath the ground, Lorne gestured for the carpenter to follow and the two of them took the ladder down into the jumper. Inside was a wreck; the contents of the jumper were strewn everywhere and a dark pool of blood stained the floor… at least what was currently the floor; the jumper lay almost upside down, making the familiar interior strange and unsettling.

The carpenter immediately entered into conversation with a tanned, athletic-looking man named Wheeler who had been part of a UN emergency rescue team back on Earth and had experience dealing with earthquakes and other natural disasters. The local man had proved a remarkably intelligent man and was able to converse with the Atlanteans on a surprisingly equal footing; he floundered on some of the technical terms but had quickly picked up what was expected of him.

When Lorne looked toward the front section of the tiny ship his heart sank. Carson Beckett stood peering into the chaotic mess that had once been the jumper's cockpit. Lorne joined him at the bulkhead door and stared in both horror and disbelief; it seemed impossible that the Colonel could still be alive under the mud and debris.

"John, lad! Can you hear me? We're going to get you out of there okay?" the doctor called out before turning to Lorne and speaking in hushed tones. "We're going to need some proper lighting down here and as much space as we can get; if you can get that hole bigger that would be fantastic. We really don't know what we're going to find once we get him out of there."

"I think it's safe to say it's not going to be good, is it?" The doctor's brow creased even more and his depth of concern was visible in his clear blue eyes.

"No lad, I'm afraid it's not."

OoOoO

Rodney felt as though he were floating long before Doctor Nyberg injected the painkillers into his veins. He was already floating when they lifted him up into the chill air and carried him along on the rigid stretcher to the jumper. He vaguely remembered seeing Major Lorne among the sea of blurred faces, he may have spoken to him but he didn't remember what he'd said.

The flight back in the jumper passed without him really noticing and before he knew it he found himself being carried out into the jumper bay where he was gently transferred to a trolley and rushed toward the infirmary, the tiny figure of Doctor Nyberg jogging alongside. At the entrance to the infirmary he spotted Elizabeth, her tense body language screaming out her mental state of anguish. She was at his side holding his hand gently before they even had him on the bed.

"Rodney, how are you?" He could see her try and force a smile but it faltered and never reached her eyes.

"Where are Teyla and Ronon?"

"They're both in surgery."

"Is Ronon going to be okay?" Elizabeth dropped her head slightly and her hair fell forward across her face.

"He's in good hands."

"That's not exactly answering my question."

"Right now, Rodney, I don't know much more than you do." One of the nurses gently moved Elizabeth away from him and her fingers slipped from his.

"We need to examine Doctor McKay and I'm afraid we can't do that with you here," the nurse explained and Rodney watched as Elizabeth reluctantly backed away, wrapping her arms around herself as though she were cold. He watched her until the curtain was pulled around his bed and he couldn't help thinking he'd never seen her looking so small and alone as she did at that moment.

His shirt was cut off and hands prodded at his body, stirring up the embers of his pain into a raging fire. A nurse brought a bowl and sponge and began gently washing away the layers of mud as the IV was slid into his left arm and taped in place and the slow wash of the painkillers took over.

OoOoO

If there was one thing Lorne hated, it was feeling helpless, yet all he could do now was stand back and watch. Lighting rigs had been brought in from Atlantis and the interior of the jumper was now brightly lit, showing the full extent of the devastation. The pool of blood where Ronon had lain was a gaudy smear of rust colour against the grey of the jumper.

The carpenter and Wheeler were busy at work; they had already cleared a big enough gap to climb into the front section but were still unable to reach or even see Sheppard. They swiftly put in supports as they went and a steady supply of wood was being lowered into the jumper, the team above ground awaiting the go ahead to start work clearing the ground above. Carson was close behind Lorne, conferring with the teams and reiterating the need to hurry over and over again inbetween calling out words of encouragement to the still silent Colonel.

Frustrated with his uselessness, Lorne climbed back out into the deepening dusk. Men and women stood everywhere in tension-filled silence, watching and waiting until they could begin work again. Women had come from the village bringing food; one of them thrust a steaming wooden bowl of broth into his hands and smiled at him encouragingly. Mere seconds ago he would have said he wasn't hungry but the smell alone made his stomach growl and he thanked the young woman sincerely. If there was one thing that Lorne knew, it was that the people of MJ5-631 had made life-long friends of the Atlanteans and he personally would see to it that they were repaid for their help and kindness. The Genii too had worked tirelessly and this simple gesture on behalf of Ladon had served to lessen the mistrust between the two groups of soldiers more thoroughly than months of diplomacy had achieved.

His radio crackled.

"Major, we've secured the cockpit as best as we can. Your men can start digging." Finally, he thought.

"Right people," Lorne called out. "We can make a start. Take it steady; I know we're all tired but we need to keep our wits about us. If the ground looks too unstable then say so. The last thing the Colonel would want is anyone else getting hurt. Okay, get to it!"

OoOoO

Rodney opened drowsy eyes, revealing a blurred vision of the infirmary; the curtain was pulled half way around his bed but was left pulled back enough to reveal the bed next to him where Ronon lay sleeping. Elizabeth stood at the Satedan's bedside and as Rodney watched she reached down and absentmindedly rearranged one of the big man's dreadlocks on the pillow. Rodney couldn't help thinking how young Ronon looked laying there sleeping, his face relaxed, the deathly pallor he had seen in the jumper already beginning to fade.

"He okay?" Rodney winced internally as his voice came out mumbled and slurred. Elizabeth looked up with a tired but heartfelt smile.

"Yeah. He's going to be fine and they should be bringing Teyla out of post-op soon."

"They fix her arm up?"

"Yeah."

"What about Sheppard?" Elizabeth's shoulders slumped slightly and her gaze returned to Ronon.

"They're still digging. It shouldn't be long now."

"Has Carson said…?"

"As soon as I know anything, I'll tell you. Right now you need to rest."

"I thought that's what I was doing. God, I feel terrible."

"I could ask Doctor Nyberg if you could have some more pain meds."

"No! That's what's making me feel so groggy in the first place."

"I never thought I'd see the day you'd turn down pain meds. Your own injuries are nothing to be sneezed at Rodney. Don't be a martyr."

He snorted. "Oh please, me a martyr? I'll leave all that self-sacrificing crap to Sheppard. I just… I want to be awake that's all, I want to know what's happening."

"Rodney, even once they've got him out it could be a while before we know anything. Get some sleep, I'll make sure someone wakes you as soon as I hear anything, I promise."

"All the same I'd rather wait, it's not that I don't trust you it's just…he was scared Elizabeth, really scared, and Sheppard doesn't get scared, that's my job. And as much as we argue and bitch about each other…I can't imagine Atlantis without him."

"No, neither can I."

"Just don't ever tell him I said that."

The corner of Elizabeth's mouth quirked up into a smile. "Of course not. Who am I to get in the way of your macho posturing?" Suddenly Elizabeth straightened up and her hand went to her earpiece, her face alive with urgency. "Weir." Rodney felt his heart beat a little faster.

"What? What is it?"

She held out her hand to hush him. He tried to move further up the bed only to hiss out in pain as the gentle throbbing in his chest burst into a fierce pain. He slumped back against the pillows and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. The sound of his own pulse filled his ears and lights danced across the inside of his eyelids. When Elizabeth spoke her voice sounded distant.

"Okay, anything else you need? They're already on standby. Should be with you in a matter of minutes. Keep in touch, Major. Good luck."

"What…what's happening? Have they got him out?"

"Not yet. We're sending some more equipment through. It shouldn't be long now."

"So you keep saying. It's already been too long." Walking over, she rested her hand on his arm and squeezed gently.

"Look, I'm going to get back to the control room. I'll see you later, okay?" She gave him a less than comforting smile before turning on her heel; she was out of the door before he had a chance to reply.

"Okay," he sighed into the empty space were she had been standing.

He lay back against the cool cotton pillows; the infirmary was eerily quiet, the staff on duty walking around in their soft-soled shoes, talking in whispers, Ronon's breathing and the gentle electronic hum of the various monitors that surrounded the two beds were the only defined sounds in the room. Rodney's eyes felt heavy, whether from the pain meds or just the insanity of the day he couldn't be certain but he fought it stubbornly. There would be plenty of time to rest in the days and weeks ahead; the team wouldn't be going anywhere for a while and it would be months before they would be back on active service.

Rodney tried not to think of Sheppard's words back in the jumper and of his own fear that the Colonel's days as a soldier would be over. If Sheppard couldn't walk then he'd be sent back to Earth, found some mind-numbingly tedious desk job somewhere if he wanted it. Alternatively, he'd find himself turned into a guinea pig for the scientists studying the ATA gene; they'd offer him his own private hell and expect him to be grateful. No, Rodney wouldn't think of that. Sheppard would get through this because that's what he did; no one had the kind of insane luck that the Colonel had and, as Sheppard himself had once said, Carson was the best doctor in two galaxies and he'd fix this - he had to.

OoOoO

Nearly the whole of the buried jumper was visible now. It was a bizarre sight to see the little space ship lying covered in mud with a tree smashed roots first through the viewscreen. That was what the winch was for. Lorne watched as a second jumper hovered above the ground; the winch fixed to its underside was the same one that Sheppard had rigged up when McKay had been trapped in the jumper under Lantia's ocean months before. Sheppard had never got the chance to use it then and now it would be used to rescue the Colonel himself.

Huge spotlights had been set up around them, giving an oddly staged feel to the scene. Everything seemed slightly unreal, a feeling added to by the fatigue that was beginning to creep into every part of his being. Doctor Weir had offered to send in fresh help but no one was prepared to leave until they had finished what they had started, and that went double for him. He knew were the positions reversed, Sheppard would do the same.

Lorne descended back down into the jumper and this time he could see the beams of the spotlights above piercing through into the dark cockpit. He leaned in to speak to Carson who was down on his hands and knees underneath the dark roots of the tree. In the light Lorne could make out a limp arm and the half-covered face of his CO. He swallowed back at the sight; he didn't think he'd ever seen anyone look more corpse-like, Sheppard's skin sickeningly pale beneath the streaks of mud and the darker smears of blood and the arm reached out toward them lying unnaturally still.

Carson still spoke to the Colonel, giving a running commentary of their progress in soft comforting tones, though Lorne doubted the Colonel was even aware of their presence. Looking at the weight bearing down on Sheppard's body, he hoped that he wasn't aware of anything right now. Wheeler was finishing attaching the straps from the winch to the tree as securely as he could. He pulled the last strap tight and stood up with a heavy sigh.

"Are we ready?" Lorne asked.

"As we'll ever be."

"So, how are we going to do this?"

"Very slowly." Wheeler's eyes looked red with tiredness under the electric glow of the spotlights and the strain was showing on his face. "I hope your pilot is damn good."

"Don't worry, she is." Part of him wished he could be flying the jumper himself but he knew that he was past exhausted and he couldn't risk making a mistake so a fresh pilot had been brought in from Atlantis, one of their best; he wouldn't have trusted anything less. Normally, in a situation like this, Sheppard would be at the controls - tired or not he was the best pilot Lorne had ever seen. Flying the jumpers came naturally to him, like breathing.

Lorne squeezed the button on this radio. "Jumper 5, we're ready to go."

"Yes, sir." He jogged across the now cleared floor of the wrecked jumper and quickly ascended the ladder just as the jumper began to take the strain of the tree.

OoOoO

Rodney's eyes snapped open. After the initial confusion of waking had passed, he was left with annoyance at himself for falling asleep again when he had so vigorously fought against it. A flurry of activity could be heard somewhere just beyond his field of vision, the soft footsteps moving with more purpose and the whispered voices speaking with more urgency. He realised that it was this sudden commotion that had awakened him.

Rodney tried to push himself up so he could move the bed curtain that was so inconveniently blocking his view but even through the drugs the slight movement caused daggers of pain to shoot through his torso and leave him falling breathlessly back against the pillows. To his right, where the curtain was pulled back, Ronon lay still sleeping and against the opposite wall he saw Teyla's petite frame lying peacefully in another bed.

He could still hear the half-whispered conversation and suddenly three medics passed by the gap in the curtain, pushing an empty stretcher toward the exit. He tried to get the attention of the nurse tending to Teyla before reaching for the emergency button; he depressed the button twice and when he received no immediate response he held it down. He could hear the low monotonous buzz of the alarm in the nurse's station and finally he discerned that one of the sets of soft footsteps was headed his way. He didn't give the nurse who pulled back the curtain the chance to speak before he assailed her with questions.

"What's going on? Is it Sheppard? Is he here yet?"

"Not yet but he'll be on his way soon," she replied in the kind of calm, rhythmic voice normally reserved for children.

"Soon? Soon? Everyone keeps saying that yet still no Sheppard."

"A med team is heading to the jumper bay for when he comes through which should be very…"

"Soon?" he sneered.

"Yes, soon." Still speaking to him as though he were at kindergarten. "Once Doctor Beckett is happy to have him moved they'll be bringing him back to Atlantis."

"So they've dug him out then?"

"I believe so."

"You believe so? How about you just go and find me someone who knows what's going on?"

"Doctor McKay," She finally lost patience, though her voice remained low and even. "In case you hadn't noticed we're in the middle of an emergency situation and the medical staff are all rather busy with other things right now, like trying to save Colonel Sheppard's life. We don't have time to stand here and give you a running commentary. As soon as Colonel Sheppard is back here and in a stable condition, I'm sure Doctor Beckett will answer all your questions…but right now you need to let us do our jobs." Rodney looked at her, his mouth opening and closing without forming words, knowing inside that she was right but angry all the same.

"Could you at least push the curtain back so I can see what's going on?" The nurse's face softened a little and she gently drew back the curtain so he could see the entrance to the infirmary. He muttered a "Thank you" and lay back against the pillows with his eyes fixed firmly on the entrance.

OoOoO

Lorne sat in the cockpit of jumper 3 feeling the soft vibrations of the engine rise up through the floor. The rest of the jumper was empty, waiting for the med team to bring Sheppard up. He'd claimed the job of flying the makeshift ambulance back to Atlantis, desperately needing to be useful. Through the viewscreen, he could see the rest of the men packing up, their exhaustion, both physical and mental, clear in their body language. He had been sitting here ready and waiting for more than 15 minutes, repeating his pre-flight checks over and over while listening through his earpiece to Beckett instructing the med team, the normally unassuming doctor carrying all the authority of a drill sergeant. Lorne only understood part of what was said; the majority of the conversation consisted of the strange codes and terms only the medics understood but he had heard enough to know it was touch and go.

"Major, we're on our way."

Those were the words he'd been waiting to hear from Beckett and he immediately straightened up a little in seat, mentally checking everything one last time. The seconds dragged out as he waited but finally he could hear the urgent sounds of the med team without the aid of his ear piece and turned to see them carrying Sheppard onboard. The Colonel's limp body was strapped down onto a backboard, his head taped securely down. Sheppard's shirt had been cut open, his ribs so badly broken that it was plainly visible, as were the array of bruises and bloodied cuts and grazes. Sheppard was settled gently to the floor.

"Let's go, Major." He didn't need to be told twice and he lifted the jumper smoothly off the ground.

"Atlantis, this is Jumper 3. We are inbound with our patient."

"That's good to hear, Major. We'll be ready for you." They skimmed over the treetops toward the gate, the little ship making light work of the distance.

"No, no, John! Don't do this to me!"

Lorne glanced over his shoulder at the doctor.

"Doc?"

"Bugger it. He's stopped breathing."

Lorne turned his eyes back to the viewscreen, the gate now visible as a shimmering pool in the distance. He concentrated on that one point, willing the jumper onward. The jumper reached the gate and the autopilot kicked in. He turned in his seat and watched as, with practised hands, Beckett intubated Sheppard. No matter how many times Lorne saw the procedure it still made him squirm. The back hatch of the jumper was open almost before the ship had settled on the ground and a fresh group of medics surrounded them, taking over from the tired group nestled in the back of the jumper, though when Doctor Cole tried to relieve Carson he merely brushed her away.

Sheppard was lifted up on to a stretcher and rushed down the corridor, medics running alongside. Doctor Weir stood to one side, her arms wrapped around her as though she were cold; she watched the stretcher pass by with wide eyes, the stress and worry of the day etched on her face. As soon as the trolley had passed her, she turned and followed on its heels and Lorne found himself standing alone in the jumper bay.

OoOoO

Rodney was in pain, pure and simple. Not the kind of pain that had him bothering Carson for Tylenol or the kind of pain he got from Ronon's self-defence lessons. This wasn't even the kind of pain he'd felt when he'd been shot in the ass with an arrow. No, this was a new kind of agony for him. There was no respite from it; the mere act of breathing was torture and any kind of movement was out of the question. He couldn't believe anyone could go through this kind of pain without being doped to the eyeballs, something he intended to demand as soon as he knew Sheppard was okay.

It was a moment before he noticed the change in atmosphere in the infirmary, an increase in tension, urgent sounding muffled voices and the change in pace of those soft footsteps. As the door opened, a confusion of sound and movement burst into the infirmary and at its centre lay Sheppard. The stretcher was rushed past him, the ashen-faced Colonel still caked in mud, his clothing half cut away, a tube down his throat and a nurse running along side gripping the bag that Rodney knew was breathing for him. It was mere seconds before the stretcher was out of his view and the sound of voices disappeared toward the operating theatre but that brief glimpse of Sheppard had hit like a punch to the gut. Things had looked bad back in the jumper but seeing Sheppard now, under the suddenly harsh-seeming light of Atlantis, it all seemed so much more real. He'd been desperately clinging to the idea that once Sheppard was home, everything would be okay. Sure, there'd be a lot of work ahead of them but they'd all be okay. After seeing the broken pilot for that brief second, he knew that the horror was far from over.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer - SGA, it's characters and universe are the property of MGM, I just borrow them to play with from time to time.

_A/N - Genuine heartfelt apologies for making you all wait so very long for an update. I feel very guilty about it and although this is not the most exciting of chapters I hope it'll go someway to making up for the wait - as always it is never my intention to keep you guys hanging but, as I'm sure you all know, real life can sometimes throw a spanner in the works. Thanks as always to the ever wonderful Alipeeps for the beta.  
_

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Under The Surface - Chapter 6

Lorne was left behind in the wake of the medics rushing Sheppard to surgery. The adrenalin rush of the flight home was over and what remained was a feeling of deep exhaustion that gripped every part of his being but he nonetheless forced his legs to start moving again. By the time he arrived in the infirmary, Sheppard was already in surgery, Doctor Weir standing at the door to the operating theatre, one arm wrapped protectively around her. She played with the chain around her neck, a simple subconscious act, something she always did while lost in thought. It was several moments before she noticed his arrival.

"You should get some rest, Major."

"I'm not the only one." Although Dr Weir had stayed on Atlantis, he knew she had lived every moment of the rescue with those on the planet.

"I'd get no more rest in my room than I would here. I just…John and I have been through a lot together, we've all been through a lot together."

"Yes, we have, and you'd have been proud of our people out there today, how well everyone pulled together. The locals were amazing and, as much as I hate to say it, so were the Genii."

"I know and rest assured that they'll all get the acknowledgement they deserve, including you. You did a good job today. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Besides, isn't getting Sheppard's team out of trouble what you pay me for?" His mouth twitched into a grin and he was rewarded by a slight relaxation in her body language.

"I seem to recall you getting in your own fair share of trouble, Major."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ma'am."

She patted him on the arm and smiled gratefully. "Of course not, Evan."

"Well I'm gonna make a start co-ordinating everyone coming back from the planet."

"I'll get someone else to take care of that."

"I don't mind ma'am."

"I know you don't but you've done enough for today. Go get yourself cleaned up and rest. You're going to be busy until John's back on his feet." Lorne pretended not to notice the catch in her voice.

"Yes, ma'am. Let me know as soon as you hear anything; don't worry about waking me up."

Elizabeth nodded, her mouth drawn into a tight line. It was obvious her mind was already elsewhere so Lorne took one last look around the infirmary before turning with a sigh and heading back to his quarters. A hot shower beckoned and his body ached in anticipation but he knew sleep was still a long way off.

OoOoO

The first sound he was aware of was that of his own breathing, the first movement the rise and fall of his own chest. Thoughts danced around his head but he was unable to hold on to any of them long enough to make sense of the world around him. A flutter of panic arose in his stomach. He needed to wake up; something was wrong, something bad had happened - the jumper! The memory came back to him suddenly and he heard himself gasp in a breath as though he were a diver coming up for air. His mind was awake now but seemed dulled and unwilling. He tried to open his eyes but failed to manage anything other than a flickering of his eyelids, enough to reveal a pale light with no discernable features. Slowly his other senses began to awaken and it was the smell that finally relaxed the knot in his gut. He could sense the tang of disinfectants in his nostrils and the crisp, fresh smell of infirmary sheets.

Home. He wasn't sure when he had started thinking of Atlantis as home but somehow that is what it had become. It had once seemed impossible that he would ever find another place to call home, let alone here with this strange and alien group with their incomprehensible ways, but the need to be near people after so long in solitude had been a strong one and he had stayed. At first he'd told himself it would just be until something better came along and that he owed them a debt of gratitude. Later, he came to realise that with these people he could really make a difference in the fight against the Wraith so it made sense to stay, but deep down he knew that the bond between he and the rest of Sheppard's team had taken root and he didn't want to leave. Though it was never acknowledged, they all knew it and he had found a level of trust and friendship that he had not dared to hope for.

His mind was brought back to the jumper; the memories were confused and disjointed. The others - how bad had their injuries been? McKay had been walking about, he'd be okay, and Teyla, she'd been in pain she'd born it well, just as he would expect a warrior to, but what of Sheppard? Slowly his thoughts came into sharper focus and he tried again to open his eyes, his exhausted body fighting him all the way. The lights in the infirmary seemed harsh and he squinted as he twisted his head, getting his bearings. A nurse was at his bedside, checking the myriad of monitors that he neither understood nor needed to. Melina would have been fascinated by this place, the technology of the healers here, but he had never had a talent for science; he was just a soldier and he had often wondered what she had seen in him.

Twisting his head to look around, he let out a low grunt. McKay lay in the bed beside him, his face even paler than normal and his eyes sunken and dull as they stared straight ahead, unseeing. It was strange that he had come to regard this funny little man as a friend. The scientist was his polar opposite, a bundle of nervous energy, treating those around him as an annoyance, inferiors hindering his genius. At first, it had been impossible to understand why Sheppard would put up with him. They constantly insulted one another and argued like an old married couple. It hadn't been long before he'd seen through the arguments to the respect and affection the two men had for one another and in time he'd grown to both admire and like the scientist himself. McKay was a good man; he just didn't like anyone knowing.

"McKay?" His voice came out too hoarse, too quiet. The nurse swiftly had a cup and straw at his lips; he lifted his hand to the cup, reluctant to be treated like a child, but his hand shook like an old man and he had to lower it again before he tipped the water down his front. The water felt cool and soothing, he washed it around his dry mouth before swallowing it. The nurse understood his grunt as a thank you and gave him a nervous smile. He didn't take offence, he was used to making people nervous and few people in Atlantis knew him well enough not to be intimidated by his silence and his build. He liked it that way, it meant they left him alone.

Turning back to McKay, he saw that the pale blue eyes had been turned in his direction but that they looked no more alive than they had when staring into nothing, the lids were heavy and puffy as though he hadn't slept in days.

"Hey."

"Hey," McKay replied, his voice almost childlike in its softness. "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap." Ronon had quickly picked up many of the more colourful phrases of the English language. Sheppard seemed to have an endless supply of curses when things went wrong and Ronon had found them creeping into his own vocabulary more and more. "You?"

"Pretty much the same."

"Teyla and Sheppard?" McKay nodded to the beds opposite and Ronon slowly lifted his head just enough to see a still sleeping Teyla. Beside her in one of the visitor chairs Doctor Weir was also asleep, her arms folded across her chest and her head slumped to one side.

"She gonna be okay?"

"From what little they've told me, she's going to be fine. They've put a couple of pins in her arm; she should wake up soon, though maybe sleep is the best thing."

"You look like you could do with some sleep yourself." McKay sighed and smiled wryly.

"I've been trying; the trouble with being a genius is the mind never really stops working."

"Sheppard?"

"He's in surgery. Still in surgery… has been for hours. Of course, they're not actually telling us anything."

"He'll be okay. He's strong."

"Yeah, well, you didn't see him when they brought him through… he wasn't… " McKay's voice faltered and he turned his face away. "It didn't look good; if it was all okay they'd have told us by now. They're only holding out on us because it's bad news."

"You're being paranoid, McKay."

"What if he's dead? What if they're not telling us anything because he's dead?"

"Beckett wouldn't do that, he'd tell us straight. Sheppard's going to be fine." Beckett? You couldn't help but have faith in the man. Ronon had never met anyone so completely honest and without agenda. Beckett was a healer, it was what he lived for and Ronon didn't think he'd ever heard a lie pass the doctor's lips.

"Define 'fine'. I mean, there's the 'he'll be back to normal in no time' fine and then there's the 'he'll live but won't be able to walk' fine."

"That's not going to happen."

"He couldn't feel his legs." Rodney's voice was little more than a whisper, as though he were afraid to say the words.

"It's not going to happen, McKay." It wasn't a scenario Ronon was prepared to entertain for a second. Confined to a wheelchair, spending the rest of his life being cared for by others like a child - that was not a way for a warrior like Sheppard to live. Ronon thought it better he died now because for someone like Sheppard that wouldn't be living. "It's not going to happen, you hear me?"

Rodney nodded before closing his eyes and turning his head away. Ronon watched him for a while before he felt the tug of sleep pulling him under once more.

OoOoO

The after-effects of the surgery and her ordeal made Teyla's head feel heavy and dulled her senses; she listened to Elizabeth's soft tones as she explained the situation. The doctors had mended her arm by placing metal pins inside. She felt vaguely uncomfortable about the thought of pieces of metal inside her body. She had allowed them to give her the sub-dermal transmitter but that was tiny and could be removed easily; the thought of spending her days with metal buried beneath her skin and into her bones disturbed her in a way she could not express. Elizabeth assured her that Ronon was fine, that he had been awake and talking only a short while before, and that Rodney was also doing well. She could see the two men lying in adjacent beds against the opposite wall, Ronon's sleep deep and still while Rodney twitched and murmured restlessly.

"He's only just fallen asleep," Elizabeth explained. "He wanted to stay awake until John came out of surgery."

"Have you heard anything?" Teyla's heart beat a little faster, her need to hear news matched by the fear of what she might hear.

"One of the nurses came out a little while ago. She said he was hanging on in there." Elizabeth smiled ruefully. "It shouldn't be too much longer; Carson will be able to tell us more."

"He was scared, Elizabeth. I have never heard him sound like that before." Teyla swallowed back, her throat feeling constricted and dry. "We were all scared. A soldier's life is often short but that is not the way any of us would choose to die."

"Well, you didn't die. You're all still here and if I have my way the four of you will still be getting into trouble when you're old and grey." Elizabeth smiled and for the first time the smile seemed to reach her eyes. "John Sheppard is the most stubborn, impossible man I have ever met. He'll fight this. He'll be back driving us all crazy before we know it." The conviction in Elizabeth's voice sounded real but Teyla knew that Elizabeth was trying to convince herself that it was true.

John had been close to death before but she had only once before felt so powerless. Her mind flashed back to the images of John tied to a chair while the Wraith fed off him and bile rose in her throat - they had all felt the despair of being unable to save him then and she felt something akin to that now. It was out of her hands and, though her faith in the Ancestors was not what it once was, old habits die hard, and she found herself silently asking for them to watch over him.

Teyla closed her eyes; her body wanted to sleep but her mind still replayed events over and over in her mind until she could almost smell the wet earth and she shivered as though cold. At some point she must have slipped into a light sleep and it took a few moments before she registered the sound of whispered voices nearby. Opening her eyes, she saw Carson standing at the foot of her bed talking to Elizabeth in a low voice. The doctor looked so exhausted that she was surprised he was still on his feet; his blue eyes seemed dull and aged. Her eyes were drawn to a tiny spot of blood on his scrubs. John's blood, she thought.

"Carson? You have news?"

He looked at her with a tense smile. "Teyla love, how are you feeling?"

"I am comfortable, thank you. John is out of surgery?"

"Not yet. Doctor Cole is finishing up."

"And all went well?"

Carson sighed deeply. "As well as can be expected. His injuries are extensive but he's hanging on in there."

"But he is not out of danger yet?"

"No, love, I won't lie to you. He's in a bad way but the fact that he's still with us is testament to how much of a fighter he is. If I were a betting man, my money would lay with the Colonel every time." He forced a weary smile. "Now you, young lady, get some rest. You won't be doing anyone any good laying awake all night worrying."

Teyla looked at the exhausted doctor. "You should sleep also."

"Aye and that's exactly what I intend to do and…" he turned to Elizabeth "…that is exactly what Doctor Weir is going to do also. You have the sedatives I prescribed you, Elizabeth. Don't be a martyr; use them if you need them. The city needs you with a sharp mind and a rested body." Reaching down, he squeezed Teyla's good hand. "I'll be by to see you later today, Teyla. If you need anything don't hesitate to call the nurse. Now, Doctor Weir, I shall escort you to your quarters, that way I know you'll get there." Both Carson and Elizabeth offered her one more smile, smiles that never reached their tired eyes, before turning and walking out of the infirmary.

Teyla was left alone, the infirmary almost silent save for the gentle beeping of machinery and the soft breathing of her fellow patients. She lay back, sinking her head into the soft pillows. She breathed in deeply, feeling her body ache as her lungs filled with air, and let the breath out slowly, trying to clear her mind. Memories of sitting with Charin as a child came to mind. Teyla had spent many hours sitting with the gentle old lady as she had patiently taught Teyla the methods of meditation. Methods that she had used in the many years that had passed since to find peace and clarity of mind, but tonight the familiar breathing rhythms wouldn't come, and her mind continued to replay the events of the past day so vividly that she could still smell the damp Earth and feel the water on her skin.

OoOoO

Rodney awoke to someone saying his name. The voice was a rough whisper and he almost thought he was dreaming before his mind cleared enough to place the low growl. He blinked open his eyes and looked at Ronon. For a moment his mind tried to place where they were before the memories hit him.

"How long have I been asleep?" Rodney asked. He no longer had any concept of how much time had passed or whether it was day or night. He could have slept for minutes or hours or even days, everything had become a blur.

"I don't know, couple of hours maybe," Ronon replied. "I think something is happening."

"Sheppard?" Rodney asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"They are bringing him out of surgery now." Rodney almost jumped at the sound of Teyla's voice; he peered across the infirmary at her.

"Can you see him?"

She pushed herself up on her good arm, grimacing in pain. "I can see movement in the ICU but not enough to tell what is happening."

Rodney tried to sit up; even through the copious amounts of pain medication his chest still felt like it was being ripped apart. He groaned and fell back against the pillows.

"Rodney, what are you doing?"

"If no one will tell us what is happening, I'm going to find out for myself." Rodney pulled out the IV in his arm, cursing under his breath as he did so. He threw back the covers and then with a grunt of effort he rolled off the edge of the bed and clumsily managed to plant both feet on the floor. "Oh dear God, that hurts." He held his side and took deep breaths, waiting for the pain to subside.

"Rodney, I do not think this is wise," Teyla argued in a tone that always reminded Rodney of his fifth grade teacher.

"Well, that's never really stopped any of us before has it?" he countered.

"Ronon, do something!"

"If I could feel my leg I'd be joining him," the Satedan grunted and that was all the support Rodney needed. Slowly he shuffled across the infirmary, the floor cold against his bare feet. The ICU area was separated from the rest of the infirmary by a partition of frosted glass, on the other side he could make out the shape of a bed and three figures bustling around it. He glanced around, half expecting to be cornered by an irate nurse at any moment, but his way was clear. He reached the open doorway and peered inside.

Sheppard lay in the centre of the bed surrounded by every kind of monitor imaginable; wires and tubing snaked around him and the ventilator tube was taped to his bruised face. If it had not been for the shock of dark hair, he wouldn't have recognised the figure laying in the bed as his friend. His chest tightened and an involuntary gasp escaped his mouth, drawing attention to his presence.

"Doctor McKay, what are you doing out of bed?" Doctor Cole asked, her voice more concerned than angry.

"I… uh… I had to see him. No one was telling us anything."

She sighed heavily. "I know the two of you are very close but…"

"This is the bit where you are supposed to tell me that it's not as bad as it looks," he interrupted.

Worry lines creased Doctor Cole's brow. "Rodney, I wish I could tell you that."

Rodney watched the all too still Colonel for a moment. "Can I stay with him a little while?"

She studied him closely for a moment before turning to one of the nurses who was still checking over the equipment surrounding Sheppard. "Janet, can you quickly make up another bed in here for Doctor McKay, please?"

"Thank you."

She walked over to him and squeezed his arm gently. "I'll go talk to Teyla and Ronon, tell them what's happening. And you're welcome. Just promise me you'll get some rest."

"Sure."

With a tired smile she left. Just when Rodney doubted his legs could hold him upright a moment longer, a nurse came and swiftly guided him to a bed opposite Sheppard's, settling him down and reattaching his IV before a second nurse had even finished unfolding the bed linen. He lay back and let them fuss around him. After everything they had been through together since arriving in the Pegasus Galaxy what seemed like a lifetime ago, McKay had begun to think Sheppard was invincible; no matter how high the odds were stacked against him the Colonel always managed to come out on top. He lay back on the pillows and watched his friend and tried to convince himself that this time would be no different.

_TBC... _


End file.
